For many, the prospect of moving to a new country to join the richest football club at the world at the age of just 23 would be a daunting one, with the pressure of a £35million price tag adding to the levels of hype and expectation that only the game’s elite players have ever had to endure.
But when Sergio Aguero arrived at the Etihad to sign for Manchester City, he quickly showed no signs of the pressure getting to him, as he immediately went about carving out a decade-long stay that saw him become one of the Premier League’s all-time greatest strikers.
A 30-goal haul across all competitions climaxed in City’s first title for 44 years, as the Argentine’s decision to join the club was quickly vindicated.
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Aguero on settling in at City
“I’d been very young when I left Argentina,” Aguero recalls to FourFourTwo. “I was 17 years old, about to turn 18, when Atlético signed me from Independiente in 2006. “The hardest thing was making the decision to go to another country, because of my age.”
Aguero believes that the move was more challenging due to the technology available at the time.
“You have to remember that in 2006, there wasn’t nearly as much technology as there is today, so it was much harder to have conversations with family and friends. These days, you turn 17 or 18 and there are 1,000 ways to connect with your family via technology – you can use your phone to make video calls in 10 seconds.
“Back then, you had to organise things to see how you could talk to everyone. It was more difficult, and for me, that was what made it so complicated.”
Despite these challenges, Aguero insists that his move to Madrid set him on a path that enabled him to succeed and enjoy his peak years in England.
“But to go to play in a league like Spain’s, and being able to start my career in Europe with Atletico, it was definitely the right decision,” he continues. “When the City offer came in, it was about the opportunity to play in the Premier League, and also that the club was building something, with new players.
“They were assembling a team for the future, one that would be able to win titles. Also, my Argentina team-mate Pablo Zabaleta was there, and Carlos Tevez was there at that moment, which made it much easier for me to make the decision.”
“You can make a decision and it can backfire, but luckily that decision was also the right one, just like when I joined Atletico. In my first year at Manchester City, I had a good season and scored 24 Premier League goals.
“Why did I adapt to English football so quickly? Firstly, because of the desire I had. I always had a desire to compete, I always wanted to give a little bit more. I wanted to make a great history at Manchester City, and also because of the fee that they paid Atletico, I wanted to leave them satisfied with the money they’d spent. I wanted to perform well for them, so they realised it was a good investment.
“There were many other reasons why I adapted so well – also, the players that were in that Manchester City team. It was very easy to play with David Silva, with Yaya Toure, Edin Dzeko, Mario Balotelli, Gareth Barry, Vincent Kompany, James Milner… they were leaders, too.”
